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Friday, June 16, 2006

WEST PALM BEACH — Despite Hurricane Wilma's interruption of its annual money-raising campaign, the United Way of Palm Beach County raised more cash in 2005-06 than ever before and will distribute $14.9 million to community agencies.

The local allocation is an 8 percent increase over last year and the most ever. The money comes from workplace campaigns, corporate giving and foundation grants."

Like most Americans, I get great joy from charitable giving--sharing my material blessings with organizations that make this a better world. But a few years ago, as my list of charities grew longer and longer, I began to feel overwhelmed by the complexities of active philanthropy."

Powered by Topix.netBy Daniel Leedaniel.lee@indystar.comThe Indiana University Cancer Center is reeling in record donations, but still has a way to go before it's among the leaders of the pack.

In recent weeks the center has landed its two largest-ever single gifts, with pledges of $7.5 million from the Eli Lilly and Co. Foundation and $6.8 million from the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer.By comparison, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York also just landed its biggest gift: a $100 million commitment from the charitable trust of media and real estate tycoon Mortimer Zuckerman."

Thursday, June 15, 2006

A 14-foot van is being put to good use by several local groups.A moving van may seem like an unusual choice for philanthropy, but it meets a genuine need, explains Accent Realtors owner Paul Wheeler.

Nonprofits and community groups can use the 14-foot van without charge for any function.

Wheeler said he wanted to do more than write checks and volunteer time.

'I called volunteer groups and nonprofits and asked what they needed,' Wheeler said. 'They said they get a lot of stuff donated to them, but no way to move that stuff. So we thought of the community truck for anyone to use.'

Nonprofit organizations that serve some of Marin's neediest residents stand to lose millions of dollars in funding due to a policy change by the Marin Community Foundation.

The foundation, which gave nearly $26 million to Marin organizations during the fiscal year ending June 30, has decided to begin balancing the amount of money it gives to underwrite existing programs with the grants it makes to new programs."

Has your phone been pretty silent lately? Or is it still ringing regularly with unsolicited calls from telemarketers--even though you've posted your phone number on the national do-not-call list?

I don't know about you, but we still get a fair number of calls from telemarketers even though our phone number is on the anti-telemarketing registry--at least one a day, sometimes more. True, that's far fewer than before, but many still seem to be getting through. Of course, most of those calls are from politicians and nonprofit groups, both exempt from the do-not-call rules. We also get several calls a week from marketing/survey firms. I highly doubt that many companies are actually doing surveys! But usually I'm dashing off somewhere and decline to take the survey. So I never have really found out how many of these calls are just a ploy to sell goods and services."

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported a total of $911.9 million collected from online gifts among 167 organizations in 2005. For 162 groups that provided figures for the past two years, collected sums were up 148.1 percent. While major disasters like Katrina and the South East tsunami prompted much of the online boost, charities that did not raise funds for the disasters saw jumps in online revenue as well"

"Terence Riley, the director of the Miami Art Museum (MAM), said that “patrons and trustees will be at Art Basel to collect for themselves, but as museum supporters, MAM’s collection is never far from their minds”. Purchases by patrons take place more quickly than acquisitions by museums, which are often subject to approval by committee.

As in the US, some European museums—such as François Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi, Charles Saatchi’s gallery and the Portuguese José Berardo’s forthcoming institution in Lisbon—benefit from having a rich collector behind them. There was speculation yesterday that a collector, possibly Christie’s owner François Pinault, has paid $900,000 for Bruce Nauman’s Three Heads Fountain (Three Andrews), 2005, although this was not confirmed by the Donald Young Gallery (E4). German collector Heinz Ackermans, whose collection forms the backbone of the K21 museum in Düsseldorf, purchased a room by artist Gregor Schneider from Cologne gallery Luis Campaña (M8).

But even the largest, state-funded European museums are expressing fears that they are being left behind in the current boom. Most do not enjoy such a rich tradition of philanthropy or such generous tax breaks as US museums, while across Europe governments are squeezing cultural budgets. "

(June 15, 2006) — In life, Robert B. Wegman was one of Monroe County's most prominent philanthropists, donating tens of millions of dollars to a range of causes. That legacy of generosity will continue after his death.

The late patriarch of Wegmans Food Markets Inc. left most of his estate to a foundation that carries the family name, according to a copy of his will filed in Monroe County Surrogate's Court in Rochester.

The Wegman Family Charitable Foundation focuses on projects that support young people and education, one of Wegman's cherished interests."

PDF | EmailThe Baltimore Examiner Newspaper, The ExaminerJun 13, 2006 7:00 AM (1 day ago)BALTIMORE - Let’s all join in applauding United Way of Central Maryland for overhauling the way it distributes money on behalf of all those who donate to it.

The organization decided to focus its charity on four areas where it says United Way can help the most people in need. Those areas are helping the poor and homeless; preparing young children for school; protecting people from family violence; and helping 6- to 18-year-olds achieve their “potential.”

Less than a quarter -- 24.9 percent -- of Rhode Islanders 16 and older served as volunteers between 2003 and 2005, according to a study conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service. That ranked Rhode Island 45th in the nation. It tied with Arizona."

AP Wire | 06/13/2006 | Column: Couples create charity registries: "JustGive.org executive director Kendall Webb said wedding-related giving accounted for roughly 2 percent of the $17 million raised in total by the charity-oriented Web site in 2005, though she emphasized that the market has huge growth potential. In 2003, just 120 couples used JustGive's service, compared with 540 in 2005.

By comparison, the I Do Foundation, which focuses solely on wedding-related charity, has raised $1.5 million since it was founded in 2002, with more than two-thirds of that coming in the past year."

Seventy-five cellos transformed by area artists were put up for bid on eBay in honor of the orchestra's 75th anniversary. By the time the auction ended Saturday, 57 instruments were purchased, with the highest for $10,000 (Modesto City Councilman Brad Hawn bought his own) and the lowest for $50."

At PBS helm, Paula Kerger must seek solvency - Yahoo! News: "CHICAGO (Hollywood Reporter) - Paula Kerger's mission as the new chief of the Public Broadcasting Service is to give the endearing and endangered institution financial autonomy in a digital media world that desperately needs what PBS has to offer.

A 13-year veteran of New York's flagship PBS station WNET and the Educational Broadcasting Corp., Kerger has been driven her first three months on the job by high-energy intensity and an unspoken acceptance that PBS' rebirth or collapse could occur on her watch.

She is driven by knowing first-hand the value of a national public television connection to grassroots artists, culture, politics and issues."

Two Saskatoon grandmothers who are raising money for their counterparts in Africa are featured as one of 12 groups of Canadian Heroes in the current Canadian edition of Time magazine.

But Sharon Maher, chair of Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers, said she doesn't consider herself a hero when compared with African grandmothers who deal with the deaths of their own children and who take on the responsibility of raising their grandchildren.

'What they do -- with no resources at all -- holds their communities, their families and their countries together,' she said. 'I mean, that's heroic.'"

South Florida -- Three Boston College students were named the winners of the Dodge High Caliber Challenge, the five-day charity road trip that covered 4,500 miles, passed through 20 states and 13 cities to raise awareness of Global Music Project and funds for Doctors Without Borders.

Captain Stefanie Sitzer, along with team members Woody Tondorf and Jennifer Cowperthwait represented Boston College as they competed against teams from Northwestern University and Texas Christian University to see who could raise the most money for charity by giving away free music downloads from Global Music Project. Each of the three winning team members will receive a 24-month lease on an all-new 2007 Dodge Caliber."

Alumni have much more to offer than money: "Students currently attending UCLA, alumni often seem distant and disconnected. But soon the Class of 2006 will be alumni themselves, and if you haven't yet realized how much former Bruins have contributed to your experiences here, now is the perfect time to find out.

Former Bruins donate their time, their money and their spirit to enrich our collegiate experiences. No student graduates from UCLA without having personally benefitted from the wide range of contributions from alumni. Alumni created your favorite student group, donated money for student facilities, cheered on the basketball team this season from their living rooms, and in some cases even taught some of your best courses. "

The typical U.S. corporation gives a little more than 1 percent of its pre-tax profits to charity, says the corporate-funded Giving USA Foundation.

Univest Corp., known for most of the last 130 years as Union National Bank & Trust Co. of Souderton, says the million dollars it expects to give away this year equals 3 percent of its pre-tax profits - triple the national rate."

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. - Could this be the final year of Brett Favre's celebrity softball game?

The man behind the charitable event acknowledged its future is about as uncertain as his own; no one knows at this point whether the upcoming season will be Favre's last as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

Favre said it would be difficult to put on the game if he's done playing football.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 2006--Look for the tell-tale red carpet and the anticipated entrances of glamorous attendees, while cameras snap and entertainment show hosts clamor for a brief word from each or any of the well-known faces alighting the scene unfolding at the Grand Coronado Ballroom at Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center December 2, 2006 -- but it's not to recognize the most talked-about film or performance, and the honorees won't be asked who they're wearing. It's about those celebrities who channel their fame into creating a better world through their talent for giving.

The inaugural, nationally-televised Golden Karma Awards show will include beautiful awards for honorees when it airs this holiday season. The point, according to Founding Director Annette Marino, is to craft a national platform that recognizes exceptional philanthropic efforts of celebrated figures in America, and to inspire millions of viewers across the country into taking action themselves."